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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772331">Gunpoint</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freudhood/pseuds/Freudhood'>Freudhood</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inception (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, BAMF Arthur (Inception), Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Whump, Work In Progress, arthur is an angel who deserves happiness but sorry for him he won't have much, decided to begin whumptober prompts because I need to make my fave characters suffer, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:34:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772331</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freudhood/pseuds/Freudhood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is a compilation of the Whumptober19 prompts that I've decided to begin in april 2020 and that I will probably finish in August 2035 because that's how I am.<br/>I fully intend on making these characters suffer for the sake of everyone else's distraction, (also because I'm bored during confinement), so take a seat and grab a snack, we are in for a long 31 chaptered ride.</p><p> 1- Shaky hands</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ariadne (Inception)/Original Female Character(s), Arthur/Eames (Inception), Dom Cobb/Mal Cobb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Gunpoint</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yusuf wakes up earlier than usual and stumbles on Arthur struggling in the warehouse. Of course he helps, and by doing so comes to realize certain things about the point man.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“God fucking damnit.” Is what Yusuf hears when he comes into the warehouse that fine morning, a grumbly mutter that resonates against the empty walls. It’s pretty early and he honestly thought he would be the first one to arrive since he didn’t come the previous day, feeling out of the weather, but obviously someone decided to steal his thunder. Which is a disappointment Yusuf might never recover from. </p><p>He walks into the open space and finds Arthur sitting on one of the long chairs, bent over and apparently focused on something at knee level. He has his back turned on Yusuf, so the chemist doesn’t see what’s he’s apparently losing his patience on, and he hopes that it’s not something you can’t fix. </p><p>But then, Yusuf realizes two things in that particular instant. One: the guy hasn’t slept in days, the whole world knows about it, and today is no exception. Somehow, Arthur never fucking sleeps. In consequence, the second thing is a very clever deduction: do not surprise him or he will honest to god shoot the person who appears without warning. </p><p>So, putting two and two together, Yusuf clears his throat loudly and kind of hides behind a pillar, even though he has seen the guy’s shooting range and he knows with cold stone truth that even the cute pillar won't stop a bullet from reaching the middle of his forehead. Yet, Arthur’s reaction is not what Yusuf expected. </p><p>The point man seems to stop what he was attempting to do and simply turns around. There is no jumps or shouts, which is impressive because Yusuf would have gone through the window if it had been him.</p><p>Even though they’re five feet apart, Yusuf can now see the dark shadows under Arthur’s eyes, which are the only visible sign speaking of any kind of fatigue he might feel. His clothes are as tightly pressed as usual and there’s just one lonely strand of hair falling on Arthur’s forehead. Which is a big deal. </p><p>The man is a robot, and Yusuf knows it. </p><p>“Good morning.” The point man greets with a frown, and Yusuf feels like he’s probably wondering if it’s the first time he’s seen Yusuf appear that early at a job. <i>The answer is yes dear Arthur I’m the laziest ass on earth, stop wrinkling your pretty face,</i> thinks Yusuf with sympathy. </p><p>“Hey there mate, what you doing?” He says instead as he walks around his space of the warehouse and starts prepping today’s work. He has done some research and he might have found a new compound to try today in order to reach another level of reality in dreams. It’s not as big deal as Arthur’s hair strand, but it’s not far on the list. </p><p>He hears a sigh and turns his head in Arthur’s direction. The guy must really feel like shit, he realizes and for the first time in a long time, Yusuf worries a bit about the job. Usually nothing goes wrong, and the only time it does is when he’s on a job without Arthur. It’s a pretty common knowledge in the Dreamshare business that if you have Arthur in the job, there’s nothing that will go wrong. The guy will do his part and, sometimes/most of the times, everyone else’s parts. He’s a Swiss knife kind of guy and no one ever got hurt under his watch.<br/>
So now, seeing Arthur fucking Name-Unknown look like something is bothering him makes Yusuf feel a bit uncertain. Because if The Arthur is having issues, everyone else is having them. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a bit like if you saw Santa having problems going down a chimney. The guy is the ultimate pro at it, nothing you say will help because he’s literally the only guy in the universe who can do it. </p><p>Here, that makes more sense. Until Arthur breaks the silence.  </p><p>“My hands are shaking.” Arthur simply says, but it feels like a slap to the head. </p><p>There is a bit of silence that settles after Arthur’s statement, mostly because Yusuf is too gobsmacked to reply anything else beside “Oh…” which he does, and the point man’s reaction is instantaneous. Yusuf hears Arthur’s walls closing down in a bang and Arthur turns around, muttering a “whatever’ in its streak and going back to his task which is, as Yusuf finally understands, trying to plant the PASIV’s IV in his vein. </p><p>And shaky hands are an issue when you can’t reach that bloody vein. Oh boy does Yusuf understand. But there’s no need to make a big deal out of it, they’ve all been there and it’s a surprise that that kind of shit doesn’t happen more often to Arthur. </p><p>“Hey it’s ok I’ll help.” Yusuf offers, trying not to sound too awkward at the idea of helping Santa go down a chimney. He puts down his vials and takes the hand sanitizer, which he fastly uses to clean his hands. Then, he steps in front of Arthur and squats down with a smile. “That’s what happens when your alimentation is based of coffee and the croissants we force down your throat.” He says and hopes it doesn’t come out as anything but teasing, because he would hate to make Arthur feel uncomfortable. Really, that’s the last thing he wants. </p><p>Yet, he hears Arthur’s quiet chuckle and he looks up from the mess of a forearm Arthur’s became with all the failed attempts. </p><p>“I guess sometimes even I forget about the essential things a body needs.” The point man replies and Yusuf hears the tiredness in the voice. Arthur’s breath smells like cigarettes and cold coffee and, he knows, the tips of his fingers are probably yellow from the nicotine. </p><p>“Do we need to hire a nanny for our point man then?” Yusuf jokes and looks down at the forearm. Arthur snorts but hands him the IV. Yusuf didn’t think it would be that bad, but when he sees the way Arthur’s fingers can barely hold onto the IV, a pang settles in his chest. Yusuf is not the guy to worry, he’s a chill dude and he loves his cats and the sun, in no particular order. That’s how one can describe him. Caring for someone’s health is not in his habits, honestly he usually doesn’t have enough logic to think about other people’s needs or the way his actions will affect the ones around him. But now, watching Arthur clenching and unclenching his hands into fists in hopes of making the shaking stop makes him realize that if he doesn’t have to worry about anyone, some other people do.  </p><p>“Isn’t that the purpose of Eames?” Arthur replies, still in a quiet tone, and cuts Yusuf’s train of thoughts. </p><p>Yusuf simply snorts and focuses on his work. Ah what would they do without Eames. He wipes the center of Arthur’s arm and takes in the colored patches on the point man’s skin. It must feel so sore and itchy and to think that he has been doing that for a longer time than the majority of people in the business is honestly mind blowing. Yusuf would have stopped by now if it went there and he doesn't understand why Arthur keeps working. He had all the money in the world and he could retire any day, or simply disappear completely from the surface of the Earth. No one would be able to track him down and no one would give a shit. Why does he keep doing that to himself?  </p><p>No one will ever know how Arthur's mind works, it is truly a mystery. But to see some humanity in him kind of makes Yusuf privileged. It probably means that Arthur sees him as something close to a friend, right? He's probably putting wrong ideas in his brain. It's not because you see Arthur's shaky hands that you become his friend. The guy probably has no friend beside Dom and everyone saw where it led him. Anyways. Yusuf knows the shaking of Arthur's hands has no significance whatsoever. And of course it’s caused by the caffeine, lack of sleep and stress that come with the job but Yusuf’s mind suddenly goes somewhere else.  </p><p>Is it an alcohol kind of thing? He doubts it, Arthur doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to lose himself into anything, and even less into alcohol. That shit steals too much of your abilities and for a control freak like Arthur it would be torture. Unless… No.</p><p>Unless… </p><p>Yusuf takes a good discreet look at Arthur, eyes analyzing every inch of the guy and notices for the first time a few things here and there he had never seen, and he realizes with surprise that he never sincerely looked at Arthur more than necessary. Arthur is not the kind of man you stare at because you know he’ll know and if he knows you’re staring it means you’re dead, but there’s also the fact that he’s a scary motherfucker and you don’t want to look into Satan’s eyes. No, you don’t. So you just let it pass and never do it unless necessary like when he passes you notes or coffee and that’s all. </p><p>But now that Sat-Arthur is sitting in front of him, at eye-level and visibly unarmed, even though he’s sure as fuck not, Yusuf sees the wrinkles at the corner of the point man’s mouth and eyes, and how his lips are turned down. He also sees the purple spots on his eyelids, the very sparse stubble trying to live here and there on the sharp jaw. </p><p>Yusuf knows that Arthur is younger, but he doesn’t know by how much, and it suddenly seems like the guy his ten years older. </p><p>What a life and how heavy it must weight on one’s mind. Alcohol is not to blame, dreams are.   </p><p>Clearing his throat, Yusuf finishes fastly and takes off the strip used as tourniquet. It’s not his place to worry about Arthur, the guy is old enough to do it for himself. </p><p>“How long you going down?” He asks now that the IV is down Arthur’s vein. The point man has laid back on the chair and his fingers are clasped together on his belly, and even from there Yusuf sees them shake. It even feels like he can hear them. </p><p>“Thiry minutes.” Arthur replies, eyes closed and with a sigh. </p><p>Was he gonna go down without everyone to watch his back? What if someone came into the warehouse and just shot him straight, there and blank? </p><p>What’s he even gonna do down there alone?</p><p>Yusuf ignores the sudden questions that burst in his mind. </p><p>“Alrighty, enjoy your time then.” He says as he presses down the button on the PASIV. It doesn’t take long for his compound to take effect on Arthur. The tension Yusuf hadn’t realized was there suddenly leaves the point man and his body slacks against the chair. Yusuf is used to finding himself with unconscious people. Maybe he could be a coroner in another life, since the silence of the bodies is something he finds beautiful. But now there’s a strain in the air he doesn’t like and even when he goes back to his desk, he feels the huge weight of Arthur’s existence behind his back. Somehow Arthur's unconscious body is the loudest Yusuf has ever met.  </p><p> </p><p>He wishes he had never stepped on Arthur’s shaky hands because now that’s everything he sees every goddamn day. When the guy writes in his notebook, when he’s on his phone or on his computer, when he holds his cigarettes between his two fingers. They always shake and Yusuf feels like a dumbass for not having noticed earlier. </p><p>Then one time, when it all goes to shits, Yusuf’s eyes fall on Arthur who, in the middle of the screams and fire, is holding a guy at gunpoint and Yusuf swears that for the first time since he walked on Arthur that morning, the point man’s hands aren’t shaking anymore.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey thanks for taking the time to read this !! It means a lot, so don't hesitate to leave a comment or a kudo if you have the time &lt;3<br/>Also English isn't my first language and I'm too lazy to look for a beta reader so I apologize for the shitty typos and mistakes lmao.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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